“Reid,” she muttered as they waited for their drinks.

“Yeah, Dev?”

He pushed his hand up into her hair and massaged her scalp.  She didn’t want to enjoy it, but it felt good.  She wished he would stop, so she could concentrate.

“I think we need to talk,” she said, wondering if he could even hear her over the music.

“Let’s talk later, okay?  I can’t really hear you,” he said with a smile.

Devon didn’t like the thought of later.  “But—”

“No,” he said sharply, cutting her off.  “Later.  Let’s enjoy our night together.”

With that, his lips covered hers as he held her head in place, so she couldn’t move.  He forced her mouth open and plunged his tongue inside.  She wanted to squirm away, but he had her exactly where he wanted her.  Her heart pounded as one of his hands slid down her backside.  He grabbed it forcefully enough to make her cry out.  Back before he had ever hit her, that would have turned her on.  Now, she only felt disgusted.

When the bartender slid the drinks across the bar to him, he released her.  Reid handed the guy his credit card and told him to keep the tab open.

His eyes found her again, and he laughed.  “You’re mine.  You know that, right?”  He grasped her chin in his hand.  “All mine.”

She swallowed, trying not to react.  He didn’t care if she confirmed or denied what he had said.  In his head, he believed it to be true.

They spent the rest of the night hanging out with Hadley and Garrett.  Devon tried and failed to act like her normal self because normal didn’t include Reid anymore.  Thankfully, for the sake of the conversation, he took over.  He had a big enough personality for the two of them, and he seemed to seamlessly hold up their end of the conversation.  She couldn’t believe she had ever let him talk for her like this before.  It felt unnatural.

She wanted to speak up at times, but then she thought better of it.  If she didn’t hand him ammunition, he would be less likely to pull the trigger.

Reid yawned big and exaggerated.  Devon knew he wasn’t tired.  He was actually wired.  Everything about the situation that put her on edge riled him up.

“I think it’s time we got out of here.”

“Are you sure?  It’s still early,” Garrett said hastily.

Devon didn’t know if Garrett’s reaction was out of fear for her safety or because he had gotten along with Reid so well.  She wasn’t really surprised.  Reid got along with everyone, but she thought that Garrett wouldn’t play into his hand so easily.

“Yeah, I haven’t seen Devon in a while.  I think we need some alone time,” he said, pulling her up with him.

“Reid,” Devon said quickly.  She did not want to be alone with him.

“Do you want us to come with you?” Hadley jumped in.

“No.  We don’t want to interrupt your evening,” he said smoothly.

Hadley looked at her pointedly.  She thought she was being reassuring as if telling Devon, Here’s your chance.  Devon regretted not telling Hadley the truth.  She couldn’t be alone with him!  This was absurd.

“It wouldn’t interrupt our evening at all,” Garrett said, standing as well.

“Really, don’t even worry about us,” Reid said.  “We’ll see you in the morning.”

“Reid, I think they should come with us,” Devon said quickly.

His grip on her arm tightened, and she stopped breathing.  It felt too familiar.  She just wanted to wake up from her nightmare.  Wake up.  Please wake up.  But she wasn’t dreaming, and she couldn’t get away from this.

“Don’t be silly, Devon.  There’s no reason for them to come with us.”  He smiled brightly at them.  “Night, guys.”

Reid all but pushed Devon out of the club and into the empty street.  He didn’t let go of her arm until he had secured her into his BMW.

“What were you thinking?  You say we need to talk, and then you try to get them to come back with us?” he asked, backing out of his parking space.

Devon didn’t bother saying anything.  She was trapped, hopelessly trapped, and she had done it to herself.  Her meager attempts at getting Hadley or Garrett’s attention had only upset him.

She hoped that she could keep Reid’s anger at bay.  She was starting to doubt her own sanity at ever agreeing to leave Jenn’s with him.  She turned toward the window and closed her eyes.  Her thoughts drifted back to Brennan—heated kisses, soft caresses, trusting conversations, freedom.  She was doing this for him.  After it was all over, maybe he would forgive her.

“WAIT…” DEVON SAID, actually paying attention to her surroundings for once.  “This isn’t the way to Hadley’s.”

Reid tightened his grip on their laced fingers.  “I thought we could use some privacy.”

“I thought we were going back early for privacy,” she said, her voice coming out hysterical.  This couldn’t be good.

“Haven’t you exploited their hospitality enough, Devon?  I think it’s a good idea for them to have the place to themselves tonight.  I thought it would be a good surprise,” he said, smiling.  He took a turn that led them farther away from the apartment.

She didn’t even have a pretense to hide her fear.  Her heart was hammering, and her breath was coming out heavy.  Where was he taking her?  She didn’t feel comfortable talking to him in a place she thought of as home, so she certainly wouldn’t feel any better somewhere else.

“Where are we going?” she asked in a demanding tone.

“Don’t you like surprises, Devon?” he asked as calm as ever.

She knew he could tell she was afraid.  She hated that fear was taking her over because she was pretty sure he reveled in it.  He liked to see her cower and back away.  He liked to have control.  She was giving him what he wanted, and she couldn’t do anything to keep herself in check.

A few minutes later, Reid pulled up to the valet of a tall skyscraper, and the valet helped her out of the car.  She then realized where they were.  She hadn’t thought that she could feel sicker, but he had proven her wrong.

A hotel.  Really?  A hotel?  She couldn’t believe this was where he was taking her.  Okay, yes, she could.  It made perfect sense.  She almost made a smart-aleck comment about whether the place charged by the hour.  Luckily, she restrained herself.  She didn’t even want to think about what happened in hotels by the hour.  That might actually break her character.

The valet zoomed off with his car, leaving Reid alone with Devon.

He smiled brightly at her.  “Nice surprise, right?”  He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her in close.  “I missed you so much, Dev.”

Devon stepped out of his embrace.  “I can’t go upstairs with you, Reid.”

“Why?” he asked, his eyes hardening.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea,” she said, trying to remain strong.

Waiting for Reid’s reaction was like turning the handle to a jack-in-the-box, knowing it was going to pop in your face.

“You haven’t seen me in two-and-a-half months. I get us a nice hotel room in the city, and I’m excited to see you.  And you don’t want to go up with me?” he asked.  “What’s wrong with you, Devon?  What’s changed since you left?”

Devon sighed and looked down at the ground.  What was wrong with her?  Maybe it wouldn’t be that bad.  They had a lot of stuff to talk about, and it’s not like they could stand outside the hotel all night.

“Are you seeing someone else?  Is that what this is about?” he asked.

She heard the tension in his voice, and she tried to remain perfectly calm.  If she reacted at all to her thoughts of Brennan, it would be bad.  She couldn’t let Reid know.  She had to keep that one thing from him.  She was safe as long as Brennan’s identity was kept safe.